10 Triathlon Training Nutrition Tips You MUST Know About

Sleep and nutrition are THE most important factors influencing your recovery.

You’ve probably heard this somewhere before. 

But especially as a beginner triathlete, mastering nutrition can be quite overwhelming (no doubt, even advanced triathletes struggle with this). 

I’m here to show you the basics of triathlon training nutrition, so you can start feeling more refreshed, energized, and ready for your next workout!

Why Nutrition is so Important for Triathletes

The day-to-day nutrition is one of the most significant factors for triathlon success. 

If your body lacks nutrition -> you lack energy -> can’t recover so well -> are more prone to injury and long-term damage to your body!

Ok, I think we’ve established, that we don’t want the consequences of poor nutrition, but where should we begin to change our diet? I’ll show you.

How to Level Up Your Triathlon Training Nutrition

Let’s start with the basics. Carbs, protein, and fats – these three are the essentials on the simplest level.

1. Fats, Protein, and Carbs: The Essentials

Balancing these macronutrients is crucial for optimal performance and recovery. Here’s how each one plays a role in your diet:

• Fats provide long-lasting energy and are vital for hormone production.
• Protein is essential for muscle repair and growth.
• Carbs are your primary source of energy during intense workouts.

The counterpart to the macronutrients are the micronutrients, which are vitamins and minerals but more on that later.

But how much do you need of these macronutrients?

First, it’s important to say, that your macronutrient requirements depend on your age, body weight, physical activity levels, and medical conditions (Source).

If your micro and macronutrients are covered and you’re meeting your calorie intake goals, the distribution is somewhat flexible and can be adjusted according to your body composition goals. 

There are some scientifically developed recommendations like the acceptable macronutrient distribution ranges (AMDR) to provide a guideline. The AMDR is a calculated range of how much energy from carbohydrates, fat, and protein is recommended for a healthy diet (Source).

These are the recommendations:

• Carbohydrate 45-65%
• Fat 20-35%
• and Protein 10-35%

You must try to get these macronutrients as much as possible from nutrient-dense whole foods to improve your health and performance. 

After some time, you get a feeling of how much you need and of what. Even though I like the science behind nutrition, I’m also a big fan of listening to your body and eating intuitively.

2. The Role of Carbohydrates

Furthermore, we’ll take a closer look at what carbs actually are. 

Carbohydrates are the primary fuel source for high-intensity and endurance activities. They are stored in our muscles and liver as glycogen. Which is broken down into glucose during exercise to provide energy.

Without adequate carbohydrate intake, your performance will suffer, and you’ll fatigue quickly.

There are three main types of carbohydrates in food:

• Starches (also known as complex carbohydrates)
• Sugars
• Fiber

Here is a short explanation of the three (Source).

Starches (Complex Carbohydrates):

Starches are long chains of glucose molecules, which the body breaks down into glucose to use for energy.

Found in foods like potatoes, rice, pasta, and whole grains, complex carbohydrates provide a slow and steady release of energy, making them ideal for sustained activities.

Sugars:

Sugars are simple carbohydrates (also fast-acting carbohydrates) that include natural sugars found in fruits (fructose) and dairy products (lactose), as well as added sugars found in sweets and processed foods.

They provide a quick burst of energy but can lead to rapid spikes and drops in blood sugar levels!

Ideally, we want to keep our blood sugar levels stable and not on a rollercoaster ride the whole day.

Fiber:

Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that the body cannot digest. It is found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. Fiber helps regulate the body’s use of sugars, keeping hunger and blood sugar in check. 

It is essential for digestive health and can help prevent various diseases. 

Try to eat 25 to 30 grams of fiber each day! 

3. Why Triathletes Need Protein

Simply put, proteins are just a chain of amino acids that are linked together (Source).

We consume protein through either plants or animals. The better the amino acid profile from the protein source matches the amino acid profile of our muscle tissue, the better it can be absorbed.

Animal-based foods are often called complete proteins, as they contain all the essential amino acids we need. Plant-based foods on the other hand tend to be labeled as incomplete proteins because they often lack one or more essential amino acids (Source). 

So it’s important for endurance athletes, to utilize protein from efficient and also clean sources!

For example from whey, soybeans, chicken eggs, cow’s milk, and more.

There is a score called DIAAS (Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score) to determine the quality of dietary protein, when you look it up online, you can find tables of the foods with the highest scores. These can be absorbed best. 

To sum it up, protein helps repair and rebuild muscle tissues that break down during training. Including a good source of protein in every meal ensures you have a steady supply of amino acids necessary for muscle recovery, maintenance, and growth.

4. Fats: The Forgotten Fuel

While often overlooked, fats are an essential part of a triathlete’s diet.

They provide a concentrated energy source, support cell function, and help absorb vitamins. Healthy fats from sources like avocados, nuts, seeds, and fish are crucial for maintaining long-term energy levels.

Caution: Your body deals with different kinds of fat intake in the same way, but the effect on your body is different!!! For example, the fat from a piece of butter vs the fat from a piece of salmon.

What I want to say is that you should favor good fats like omega-3 fatty acids and omega-9 monounsaturated fats. Polyunsaturated fats like omega-6 are also beneficial, but they are already present in high quantities in our western diet and there is rarely an extra need for them.

5. The next level: Micronutrients and Electrolytes

These include vitamins and minerals required in small amounts but are crucial for energy production, immune function, bone health, and overall recovery. They ensure that we maintain optimal performance and prevent deficiencies that can impair performance and health.

When we are smart about our macronutrient choices, we should already cover the most essential micronutrients.

Electrolytes

There are five main electrolytes in the body:

• Sodium: Regulates fluid balance, nerve function, and muscle contractions. Replenishing sodium is vital during and after exercise to prevent dehydration and cramps.
• Potassium: Maintains fluid balance and nerve function, and is crucial for muscle contractions.
• Calcium: Essential for bone health, muscle contractions, nerve signaling, and blood clotting. 
• Magnesium: Involved in muscle and nerve function, energy production, and muscle relaxation. Prevents cramps and supports over 300 biochemical reactions.
• Chloride: Helps maintain fluid balance and is essential for digestive juices. Works with sodium to ensure proper muscle function and pH balance.

These electrolytes affect the function of our muscles and nerves and help maintain fluid balance. Sodium and magnesium are crucial for athletes.

Nutrition Around Your Training

For maximum performance and a quick recovery, we can’t neglect our nutrition around our workouts (Especially during our high-intensity workouts and long workouts)!

6. Pre Workout

For your pre-workout meal or snack, it’s important to rely on fast carbs, that you can absorb quickly.

It’s generally recommended to have this meal or snack 1 to 3 hours before starting your workout, depending on how your body tolerates food before exercise. The goal is to enter your training session well-fueled but without discomfort from undigested food.

When I eat very easily digestible (and fast) carbs as a pre-workout I usually only go for 30 minutes to 1 hour, try it out for yourself to see what works best for you!

Examples of an easily digestible pre would be a slice of toast, a banana, a small bowl of oatmeal, or a sports drink. This ensures your muscles are fueled and ready for the workout ahead.

7. Intra – During Workout

During longer training sessions, maintaining your energy stores is key!

Consuming easily digestible carbs like energy gels, energy bars, or electrolyte/sports drinks can help sustain your performance.

You have to test different products to find out what works for you. 

One tip I can give you: Order a test package from different gel brands, so you can test which flavors and carb mixtures suit you best. Because not all gels are made from the same carbs (for example some contain fructose, others maltodextrin,…).

To put this into a nutshell, there are not many workouts where I abstain from using some form of intra-workout. My favorites are a carb drink and Trollis, lol.

8. Post Workout

Post-workout nutrition is all about recovery.

After exercise, you should consume sufficient carbohydrates within the first two hours to replenish your glycogen stores and repair muscle tissues.

I like to eat a mix of carbs and protein within 30 minutes of my workout, to get the repairing processes in my body started. One of my favs is a whey shake plus a banana.

In this context, you may have already heard of the term “anabolic window”. This basically is the 30-minute timeframe in which your body is the most receptive to nutrients and these nutrients can significantly aid in the recovery and rebuilding processes. 

Why this matters

As the glycogen-building enzyme is particularly active during this time, the carbohydrates can be converted into glycogen more quickly and stored. This has a positive effect on recovery time.

Day-to-Day Triathlete Diet

9. Consistency in Your Diet

It’s not the salads that matter in the week before your race, it’s all the salads you had throughout the year that matter.

Consistency in your daily diet is crucial. Focus on a balanced diet rich in whole foods, including plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats.

Because this is the only way your body can handle a high training load.

Race Day Nutrition for Triathletes

Now let’s come to your race day nutrition. Race nutrition is highly individual and there is no one-fit-all solution!

But there are some general guidelines you can follow to find the perfect strategy for yourself!

Generally, you can follow what I’ve been preaching already before. 

The Pre – Intra – Post Routine. 

Just for a Race, there is a little bit more to it. 

10. Before the Race – Carbohydrate loading

There is scientific evidence, that loading up our carb stores the days and hours before the race is beneficial. 

Athletes perform a carbohydrate load, to fill up the glycogen stores in the muscles and the liver as much as possible. To have reserves during the race.

But more about carb loading in a future article!

Join my email newsletter to make sure you don’t miss it!

Also, for your pre-race meal, you have to experiment with what works best for you. I have had good experiences with a small breakfast such as toast with jam, others like white rice with fruit sauce,… there are as many options as there are athletes, so it’s up to your personal preference. 

Just don’t try anything new on race day and stick with what your gut knows and can handle. 

11. During the Race

We already know, that our bodies mainly use two different sources of energy. Carbohydrates and fat. 

Despite that even the leanest athlete probably has enough fat stored to finish an Ironman event, it does not mean, that that would be the best idea.

And since our carbohydrate stores are limited, we have to keep topping them up ourselves.

But keep in mind that the rate at which our bodies can absorb sugars through our GI (gastrointestinal) tract is limited and is not determined by the size or weight of an athlete!

This means, that the following recommendations are regardless of the body weight and the training status (Source).

The longer the amount of time we exercise -> the more carbs we need.

Up to two hours, it can be single or multiple transportable carbohydrates, but if we go above 2.5 hours, we HAVE to use multiple transportable carbohydrates!

This means, that we cannot just use glucose and also need to add fructose. Because glucose and fructose use different transporters we can keep the oxidation rate high.

12. Post Race

Many athletes underestimate the post-race refuel! But with inadequate refueling, you are unnecessarily prolonging your recovery process!

I organize my post-race nutrition similarly to my post-training nutrition. Proteins and carbs to replenish empty glycogen stores. 

It’s not until 2-4 hours after my race that I eat a larger, balanced meal with lots of fruit and vegetables. As I have less appetite immediately after intense exercise.

But I make sure to snack on some small stuff like pretzels and raisins for example to get carbs in 30 to 90 minutes post-race! Try to eat enough, but not too much so you feel stuffed.

You can read the recap of my last race to get an insight into my nutrition strategy.

Hydration Strategies

13. Why Hydration is so Important

Proper hydration is just as important as proper nutrition.

Dehydration can severely impact your performance and recovery.

Drink water regularly throughout the day, and use electrolyte drinks during long training sessions and races to maintain your body’s electrolyte balance.

And for runs and rides longer than 30 minutes definitely take a water bottle with you! Especially during warmer temperatures!!!

Wrapping Up

Finally, you know all the basics and are well prepared to improve your diet therefore improving the quality of your training and racing.

Here is a review of the best supplements for cyclists. But pretty much the same applies to triathletes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I train on an empty stomach?

Training in a fasted state can be done for low-intensity workouts but is not recommended for high-intensity sessions. However, I would strongly advise against fasted training unless you are an experienced athlete or work with a coach who knows the ins and outs!

What are the best recovery foods?

Foods rich in carbs and protein, such as chocolate milk, a turkey sandwich, or a smoothie with protein powder. Or any other (lean) protein and carb source you like.

How do I avoid gastrointestinal distress during a race?

Stick to familiar foods and avoid high-fiber or high-fat meals close to race time. Use carbohydrate sources, to which you know, your GI tract reacts well, and practice, practice, practice your nutrition strategy beforehand!!!

You Could Also Like

• Best Bento Box for Triathlon Bikes in 2024
• 50 Triathlon Essentials ALL Beginner Triathletes Need
• The 5 Best Hydration System for Your Triathlon Bike!